Ironing machine



Nov. 26, 1935. J. R. cRocKFoRD IRONING MACHINE vFiled June 16, 193s 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY NOV- 26, 1935. J. R. czRocKFoRDA IRONING MACHINE Filed June 16, 1953 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE loNrNc. MACHINE Joseph R. Crockford, Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignor to G. M. Co. Mfg. Company, Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 16, 1933, Serial No. 676,030

7 Claims.

This invention relates to ironing machines and more particularly to a stripping means for stripping fabric from the rotating rolls of ironing machines.

An object of this invention is to provide a convenient, simple and effective device of the type above indicated.

Variousv other objects and advantages will become apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out more particularly in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages and the manner of its operation, may be better understood by referring to the embodiments thereof set forth in the following description and shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and in Which:

Figure 1 is a a broken longitudinal section through an ironing machine, showing certain of the rotating rolls and the stripping means;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l;

Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are partial sectional views similar to Figure l, showing modified forms of stripper fingers;

Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective View of the support for the idler pulleys;

Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective View of the carrier for the stripper fingers;

Figure 10 is a section taken on the line IU-IU of Figure 9;

Figure 1l is a detail View showing the end of the stripper linger which is adapted to seat in the carrier; and

Figure 12 is a detail View showing the means for formingthe endless band.

In the various figures of the drawings, like parts are identified by like reference characters. Referring more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the invention is shown as applied to an ironing machine having a side frame I5 which is adapted to receive and rotatably support a plurality of rotating rolls I6, each roll comprising, for ex ample, an axle II which is mounted in suitable bearings in said side frame I5 and carries a tube I8 having a padded cover I9 which is adapted to engage the fabric or other material being ironed. For holding the fabric in pressure engagement ,with the rolls I6, there are provided ironing shoes, such as steam chests 20, which may, for

example, be stationary and adapted to receive the pressure of the rolls and to hold the fabric against the face of the rolls. lilach'steam` chest 2t is provided with a top surface 2l having a contour similar to that of the surface of the 5 roll and adapted to hold fabric in ironing engagement therewith. The part of the machine thus far described'is well known in the art and only so much thereof has been set forth as is necessary to an understanding of the invention. 10

The material to be ironed is fed into the entrance side of the machine, which is indicated as the left side of Figure l, between the first rotating roll I6 and its steam chest 2U. The roll l rotates in the direction of feed of the material 15 and causes the material to frictionally slide over the surface of the steam chest and to be discharged at the exit side in a position to be acted upon by the succeeding roll. As the material progresses through the machine, it is progres- 20 sively ironed and dried and is finally delivered at the exit side of the machine.

When the material emerges at the exit side of the various rolls, it may tend to adhere to the surface of the roll instead of following the sur- 25 face of the ironing shoe to the entrance side of the next roll. This tendency is greater at the first roll where the material is comparatively wet and decreases somewhat as the material is treated by the following rolls. In order to over- 30 come this disadvantage, I have provided stripper means at each roll which are adapted to strip the material from the surface of each roll after passage over the ironing means and to cause the material to be properly `fed to the succeeding roll; 35

For this purpose I have provided a plurality of endless bands 25 which are spaced along the surface of the first roll i6 and are adapted to travel with the material in response to rotation of the roll. Each of the bands may comprise a 40 thin fabric strip vhaving ends 26 and 27 (Figure 12) which are overlapped and secured by rivets 28, preferably with the trailing end 2i on the outside. A ap 29 is secured, as by sewing, to the band 25 at a point ahead of the over- 45 lapped portion in the direction of travel of the band. The flap 29 extends rearwardly and overlies the trailing end 21 and the rivets 23 to prevent them from contacting with the-fabric being ironed. 50

Each of the bands 25 passes over an idler pulley 3| which is located at the exit side of the .roll and may comprise a cylindrical section 32 (Figure 8) over which the band 25 passes, and flanges cylindrical section 32 and are adapted to rotate therewith. The flanges 33 are preferably cam shaped, for example triangular, and extend radially beyond the cylindrical surface so as to strike against and vibrate the fabric and to thereby prevent the fabric from adhering to the band 25.

For supporting the idler pulley 3i, there may be provided a support 35 comprising, for example, an angle iron which extends longitudinally of the machine and parallel to the side Walls l5 and may be mounted on said side walls by struts 35. A bar 31, extending transversely of the machine and longitudinally of the axis of the roll, is carried by the supports 35 and may comprise, for example, an angle iron having a horizontal flange 38 and a vertical flange 35. A resilient member 40 (Figures 1 and 8) may be secured to the vertical flange 39, as by screws 4l, and may carry at its free end a yoke 42 in which the idler pulley 3l may be rotatably mounted. The resilient member 4i! is adapted to hold the idler pulley 3l in engagement with the band 25 and to maintain the band under tension as it passes around the roll l5. It is to be noted that the idler pulley is driven bythe band and that cam fianges 53 rotate with the pulley to intermittently strike the fabric which may adhere to the bands 25.

For stripping the material from the following rolls, I utilize stationary stripper fingers 55, which are preferably formed of thin, flexible, metallic material, such as a thin strip of stainless steel, and extend between the material and the ironing means and above the fabric being ironed. These fingers 5] each project on the exit side of the roll and have a projecting portion 5l on the exit side adapted to strip the fabric from the face of the roll. Suitable means may be provided to bear against the surface of the roll to hold the projecting portion 5l of the iinger 55 in stripping position and to prevent said portion from being deflected toward the roll by the fabric which may adhere to the surface of the roll. In the embodiment shown in Figure l, the projecting portion is provided with an inturned flange 52 Which may be provided with a reverse bend, as at 53, adapted to bear against the surface of the roll for the above purpose.

A carrier (Figure 9) mav be provided for each of the fingers 50 and may comprise, for example, a substantially V-shaped metal strip 55, the sides of which form spaced members 53 and 51 joined by a rolled section 58. The member 51 may be bent to form a shoulder 59y for the purpose to be described. The free end of the member 51 may be provided with an inturned flange Sl which may be secured to the member 55, as by rivets 62.

The top of the member 56 may be bent at right angles to form a horizontal ange 63 which is adapted to seat over the horizontal flange 38 of the bar 31. A positioning member, such as a square stud Elfi, may be secured to the horizontal flange 63, as by a screw 65', which may have a knurled surface to provide a grip for removing the carrier from the machine.

The horizontal flange 38 of the bar 31 is provided with a plurality of rectangular holes 56 having a length, transversely of the bar 31, corresponding to the width of the V-shaped strip 55 and having a width, longitudinally of the bar 31, adapted to receive the studs 64.

Each carrier is passed through a hole 66. with the V-shaped strip 55 edgewise with respect to the roll and is turned at right angles before the stud @Il enters the hole 55. In this position, the horizontal flange 53 of the carrier is supported upon the horizontal flange 38 of the bar 31.

Each finger 5i) may be provided with an enlarged head 51, which may comprise a substantially flat disc secured to the end of the finger in any convenient manner, and having upturned flanges 68 formed at the two sides thereof. An aperture 55, of sufcient size to permit the stripper nger to freely pass therethrough, is formed in the rolled section 53 of the carrier. The finger 5l) passes through this aperture 55 until the head 51 engages the rolled section 58. Thereafter the head is firmly seated between said rolled section and the shoulder 55 above described, with the upturned flanges 68 extending on opposite sides of the member 5l. It is to be noted that the square stud 64 prevents the carrier from rotating and maintains the fingers in a proper position with respect to the roll.

Inasmuch as the fabric becomes drier and smoother as it passes under the successive rolls, the tendency thereof to adhere to the surface of the rolls decreases. Hence, fewer stripper fingers may be used with the end roll or rolls of the machine than with the intermediate rolls. In the form disclosed, the fingers associated with the end rolls have approximately double the spacing of the fingers associated with the intermediate rolls. The fingers associated with the various rolls are preferably staggered so as to avoid leaving a crease or mark on the nished fabric.

The construction of the projecting portion 5l of the stripper fingers may be varied to provide means for holding the same away from the surface of the roll. In the embodment shown in Figure 4, the end of the finger 5&3 is bent inwardly and downwardly in substantially triangular form to provide a flange 10 bearing against the surface of the roll which is separated by a flange 1I from the projecting portion 5| of the finger. In the embodiment shown'in Figure 5,

the projecting portion 5| is provided with a double bend forming a Vertical section 11 and a flange 18 adapted to bear against the surface of the roll. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 6, the projecting portion 5! is provided with an inturned flange 8| having a rolled end 82 which contacts with the surface of the roll to hold the projecting portion in stripping position; The embodiment illustrated in Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6 with the addition of a reinforcing means 85 at the bend between the projecting portion 5I and the inturned fiange 8l, which is adapted to impart sufficient strength to prevent deformation-of the flange 8l and to maintain the same in proper position. This reinforcing means 85 may comprise, for example, a attened tube which may be machined to provide a smooth surface.

The fingers above described may be threaded through the machine While in operation by merely applying the same at thev entrance side of the roll, whereupon the rotation of the roll will cause the linger to be threaded thereunder and will exert a pull for seating the carrier on the bar 3.1. Obviously, the roll may be elevated a slight distance from the ironing means to provide clearance for threading the ngers, if desired.

The lingers 50 are stationary with respect to longitudinal movement as distinguished from the endless bands 25 which are adapted to travel with the material in the direction of feed. It is to be noted that all of the stripping means are supported'by side supports 35 which may be applied to the machine as a unit or may be readily removed therefrom. The various fingers themselves are. independently removable from the supports and may be removed from the carrier with or without rst removing the carrier from the support. The carriers prevent the fingers from twisting and maintain the proper spacing where they engage the roll. The carriers are free to swing toward the roll in response to the pull of the ngers and provide a comparatively stiff support for the ngers, but are readily removed to permit replacement of a broken finger. The heads El are resiliently held by the shoulders 59, but may be easily removed therefrom. It is obvious that the rotating bands may be applied to more than one roll if desired, although in the usual form of machine, it is contemplated that it will only be necessary to apply these bands to the first roll which removes the greater portion of the moisture from the fabric.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes and modications may be made by a person skilled in the art, and the invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claims when interpreted in View of the prior art,

I claim:

l. In an ironing machine, stationary ironing means, a rotatable roll in pressure engagement therewith and adapted to feed fabric to be ironed over said ironing means, stripping means adapted to strip the fabric from said roll after passage over said ironing means, comprising a relatively stationary finger extending between the roll and the ironing means from the entrance side to the exit side of the roll, means to anchor said finger against the pull of the roll, comprising a stationary support extending longitudinally of said roll, and a comparatively rigid carrier seated on said support and extending downwardly therefrom, said carrier havingan aperture at its lower end, said finger extending through said aperture and having means associated therewith adapted to seat in said carrier adjacent said aperture to thereby anchor said nger.

2. In combination, a stripper for an ironing machine comprising a thin, iiexible, metallic iinger having an enlarged head, and a carrier therefor comprising a V-shaped metal strip having spaced members joined by a `rolled section, one of said members having a shoulder spaced from said rolled section, said enlarged head being seated between said shoulder and said rolled section and secured thereby.

3. In an ironing machine, stationary ironing i' means, a rotatable roll in pressure engagement to strip the fabric from said roll after passage over said ironing means, comprising a thin, flexible, metal nger extending between said roll and said ironing means and having a portion projecting at the exit side of said roll and spaced therefrom, and spacing means engaging the surface of the roll to hold the projecting portion of said finger in spaced relationship with said roll.

4.-. In an ironing machine, stationary ironing means, a rotatable roll in pressure engagement therewith and adapted to feed fabric to be ironed over said ironing means, stripping means adapted to strip the fabric from said roll after passage over said ironing means, comprising a thin, flexible, metal finger extending between said roll and said ironing means and having a portion projecting at the exit side of said roll and spaced therefrom, said portion having a flange adapted to engage the surface of the roll to hold said portion in spaced relationship with said roll.

5. In an ironing machine, stationary ironing means, a rotatable roll in pressure engagement therewith and adapted to feed fabric to be ironed over said ironing means, stripping means adapted to stripthe fabric from said roll after passage 25 over said ironing means, comprising a thin, exible, metal finger extending between said roll and said ironing meansand having a portion projecting at the exit side of said roll, the free end of the projecting portion being bent toward said roll 30 over said ironing means, comp-rising a thin, fiexi- 40 ble, metal nger extending between said roll and said ironing means and having a portion projecting at the exit side'of said'roll, said projecting portion being bent back into substantially triangular form, one leg of the triangle forming a flange adaptedto engage the roll so as to hold the projecting portion in stripping position.

7. In an ironing machine, stationary ironing means, a rotatable roll in pressure engagement therewith and adapted to feed fabric to be ironed over said ironing means, stripping means adapted to strip the fabric from said roll after passage over said ironing means, comprising a thin, flexible, metal finger extending between said roll and v said ironing means and having a portion projecting at the exit side of said roll, the free end of said projecting portion having a reverse bend adapted to engage the surface of the roll for maintaining the projecting portion in stripping 66 position.

JOSEPH R. CROCKFORD. 

